A Novel Topology Optimization of the Frame Mold for Composite Autoclave Process

Frame mold is the key tool for autoclave processing of composite structures. Its stiffness and temperature uniformity have important influences on the quality, particularly the synchronization of curing of the processed composite structures. In this paper, a novel topology optimization method is proposed to design the frame mold for improving the stiffness and the temperature uniformity while reducing the weight. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed to analyze the temperature field of the frame mold during the curing process and its accuracy is validated by experiment. Furthermore, the original mold and optimized mold covered with the composite panel are introduced to the numerical model to research the evolution process of the degree of cure (DoC) during a curing cycle. The results show that the overall structure weight of the optimized mold is reduced by 16.04%, the stiffness is increased by 27%, and the temperature uniformity is increased by 29%. The synchronization of curing of the composite panel is also improved by 26.7% using the optimized mold.